Last Chance
by rachliz
Summary: This is a mirror story to A Second Chance. It is Edward's side of the story. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or characters from it. They belong to the wonderfully brilliant Stephanie Meyer.**

Prologue

I watched as Bella Swan, my best friend, rode away in the little car. She was looking back at me, her face pressed against the window with tears running down her cheeks, her hand outstretched as if she were reaching out for me. I wanted to chase after the car and take her back. I wanted to hug her and tell here everything was going to be all right. But I couldn't. She was moving to Tennessee with her mother. I might not even see her again. I fought back tears as I that last thought ran through my mind.

I still remember clearly the first day I met her a year ago. I was new in town and very nervous. She walked up to me and introduced herself with the voice of an angel. We were best friends from that moment. We were inseparable. My father, a commander in the military, often told me that I should hang out with guys instead of just her all the time. Don't get me wrong. My dad loved Bella like a daughter. He just thought my spending too much time with a girl would wear off on me. He didn't know how wrong he was. Bella was such a tomboy. We would play sports and act goofy. She wasn't like all the other girls. She didn't care about getting dirty or what she looked like. She was so much fun to be around. It just wasn't fair.

"Edward," my mother said, walking outside and putting hand on my shoulder. I hadn't realized I had been standing in the same spot for nearly fifteen minutes, staring at the corner where I last saw Bella's face. "Come on inside. Everything's going to be all right, son."

I followed her inside. As much as I wanted to believe her words, I couldn't help but doubt them. How could everything be okay when I had lost my best friend?


	2. Meeting Again

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. Thanks for reading this anyway though.**

Meeting Again

I had only been in Forks for two weeks, but I had to admit that I really liked it. I had already made a few friends. I met Emmett and Jasper last week. They were a lot of fun, when they weren't almost breaking my mom's vase with a football.

When Alice and Jasper first saw each other, you could practically feel the sparks flying. I know she likes him, though she stubbornly denies it. Jasper already told me that he liked her. Part of me wishes they would stop being so stubborn and just be together, but the other part of me is glad that they're so pigheaded. Alice may be adopted, but she is still my baby sister.

I thought about all this as I drove to the town's library. For such a small town, their library was pretty well stocked.

My thoughts wandered to Bella, as they often did. I had another dream about her last night. In this one, she was laying in a hospital bed with people surrounding her, crying. I didn't notice who the others were, for I could only look at her. She was screaming, trying to get their attention. Nobody would answer her or even look at her; they just kept crying. I tried to call out to her, but my voice wouldn't come. She looked up at me, and then I woke up. I dreamt of her almost every night, but I had never had that dream before.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and into the library parking lot. There was a dark blue Ford F-150 parked a few spaces down. 'I've never seen that truck here before' I thought to myself. I know it was probably pathetic, but when I wasn't hanging out with Emmett and Jasper, I was at the library.

I got out and ran through the downpour to the library door. I swiftly walked to the back where the classics were. I turned around the last bookshelf and stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting there in the floor against the back shelf with eight books sitting beside her was the one person I never thought I'd see again.

She had one knee pulled up and had "Pride and Prejudice" sitting on it. She was reading it intently with I slight crease on her forehead and her eyebrows knit together. Her chestnut hair was pulled into a messy ponytail with some of it falling out at the side of her face, but she didn't seem to notice or care. She had changed so much, yet she hadn't changed at all. She looked tired and weak; not the Bella I remembered. Yet, she looked just as beautiful as the first day I saw her. Did I just think 'beautiful'? What was wrong with me? And why was she sitting in the floor? Bella Swan had always been a little strange. Then she looked up at me, and her deep, brown eyes locked with mine. She blushed and smiled, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. Am I in your way?" she asked with that angel voice I remembered so well.

I shook my head and smiled, trying not to laugh. She really didn't recognize me. Confusion and annoyance swept across her face as I continued to stare at her. It was almost impossible not to laugh now.

"What?" she said after a few minutes.

"What? Don't tell me you honestly forgot about me Bells," I said. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped a fraction of an inch as she realized who I was.

"Edward?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Well it took you long enough," I said laughing. She ran up and hugged me tight. I hugged her back, trying to hold in some emotion I couldn't identify. I was so happy to see her, but it felt like there was something more; something I couldn't explain.

"Nice to see you too, Bells," I said. She just laughed. She pulled away and looked at me again with those big, brown eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My dad got reassigned, so we moved here at the beginning of the summer two weeks ago," I said smiling at her. She smiled too, but then her smile vanished. Mine did too. Does she not want to see me?

"So when do you have to move again?" she almost whispered. My smile returned. Oh, that's all it was, I thought.

"I'm not. I told my dad I was tired of moving, so next time he leaves, me and my mom are staying here. So what are you doing here?"

She froze, then plastered on a fake smile. It was genuine to anyone but me. I could tell when she was lying.

"Well Dad is the police chief here. I had lived with Mom long enough and decided it was time to give Dad a chance. And I was tired of burning up every time I walked outside."

"Right," I said, and then shrugged. She obviously didn't want to talk about it. I wasn't going to start arguing with her when I just found her. She'd tell me soon enough. She could never keep a secret for too long. "I haven't seen you in ages. Come on, let's go do something," I said while grabbing her hand and pulling her out to my car. I opened her door quickly, then ran over to my side.

"What about my truck?" she asked, but she didn't really seem like she cared. So that was her truck. I guess I should've known.

"We'll come get it later," I said.

"What about my dad? He won't know where I am."

"Relax, Bella. Have a little fun," I said smiling at her. A grin spread across her face making it light up. When's the last time she got out? It's not like we're running off to elope. Wait. Why did I just think that?

"Where are we going anyway?" she suddenly asked.

"To my house. My mom is just going to die when she sees you. She'll be so excited. And my dad…well you know my dad. He always thought of you as a daughter in Chicago. He'll be thrilled too, just in his own way. And Alice-"

"Who's Alice?" she asked, cutting me off.

"Oh yeah, you never met her. She's my sister. My parents adopted her right after you moved. You'll love her. If she doesn't annoy you to death, that is."

I looked over to see her smiling again. She looked gorgeous. Stop that! I quickly fiddled with the radio to distract me until it was on my favorite station. River Flows In You was playing.

"I love this song," she exclaimed turning it up as loud as it would go. I looked over again, and she was positively beaming. I stared at her for a minute, then smiled.

"Same old Bella. I should've known you would like it."

Then I stopped the car in front of the familiar house. I swiftly walked around the car and opened the door for her. I held out my hand to help her out of the car. I remembered how clumsy she could be. Also, I had been raised that way; polite. She took my hand.

"Why, thank you," she teased.

"Well, you're so very welcome," I replied grinning.

We walked up to the door. I opened it and walked in.

"Mom, Dad. You'll never guess who's here," I yelled.

"If it's Emmett or Jasper," I heard my mom saying, "tell them no more footballs in the house. They almost broke-" She cut off as she reached the front room. "Is that little Bella Swan?" she gasped. I felt Bella nod beside me. Then my mother ran across the room. I hadn't noticed till then that I was still holding Bella's hand. My mother broke our hands apart as she pulled Bella into a hug. I couldn't stop the laughter that came.

"Oh my goodness. We haven't seen you in three years. What are you doing here?" my mother asked quickly.

"Well Dad is the police chief here. I had lived with Mom long enough and decided it was time to give Dad a chance. And I was tired of burning up every time I walked outside." She said the exact same line she said to me, which only made me more suspicious that it was only that; a line. What was she hiding?

"What's with all the screaming down there?" I heard Alice yell down the stairs. She'd probably been dying to make an appearance ever since she heard my mom say Jasper's name. She danced down the stairs, and then spotted Bella.

"Oh I see. You must be Bella. It's so nice to _finally_ meet you. I've heard so much about you," she said as she made her way over to hug Bella as well. I felt heat rise in my neck as I glared at Alice. I did not talk about her all the time! Did I? Well, so what if I did? She's my best friend. I'm allowed to talk about my best friend, aren't I?

My dad eventually made his way down. He shook her hand and called her by her last name. Like I said, he had his own way of expressing emotion. My mother insisted that she eat dinner with us. She seemed to really get along with Alice. After dinner, we were climbing into my car so I could drop her off at the library; she still had to get her truck.

Once we pulled up beside her truck, she went for the door handle. You have to stop her.

"Hey," I said without thinking. What was I going to say? She looked over at me, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Do you want to come over tomorrow? I was thinking you, me, and Alice could do something," I said off the top of my head.

"Yeah, sure," she replied. I smiled.

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"Okay," she said. With that, she got out, climbed into her truck, and drove off.

I smiled to myself the whole way home, thinking about tomorrow.


	3. A Day of Shopping

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated this one. I honestly forgot about it. The next chapter will be out very soon, I promise.**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up with a start. I had the most peculiar dream. Bella was there, but she as in a hospital bed, covered in tubes and wires as I watched Alice cry at her side.

I shook my head to clear the nightmare and got up to get ready for the day.

I remembered that I would be spending the day with Bella, which considerably brightened my outlook. I walked off to the bathroom to shower, the garish visions of the night already forgotten.

I bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Alice bouncing up and down excitedly. I would never understand how she could have so much enthusiasm at this hour in the morning.

"We are _so_ going to the mall today. And don't you even try to stop me from taking her, Edward, or we'll go without you. I haven't had anyone to go shopping with, so you better not deny me this." She seemed to get this all out in one breath. An amazing girl she is, my sister.

"Calm down, Alice. We can go to the mall. Although I highly doubt that Bella will enjoy herself, but if you insist-"

"And I do," she interrupted.

"-then we can go," I finished. She squealed loudly, breaking many dishes and scaring all dogs for miles I'm sure.

"Okay, then let's go."

"I can't! I'm not ready yet, Edward," she screeched. Such a loud voice for such a small person. I looked at her and blinked in confusion.

"What are you talking about? You're already dressed."

"Edward, now that I _know _we're going to the mall, I obviously have to change," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Because…?" I trailed off questioningly.

"Because," she said dragging it out as if I was the stupidest person on the planet. "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing something that is already in one of the stores. How embarrassing would that be?"

I rolled my eyes at this. _Of course. How could I have been so stupid? Oh yeah, because I'm not insane._

"Well, I'm going to get her while you change."

She nodded and ran out of the kitchen as I headed out to the car. I got in quickly, eager to get to Bella that much sooner. I pulled out and sped off toward her house.

As I pulled into the driveway, I was suddenly nervous. _What is wrong with you? It's only Bella_, I told myself as I got out. I darted to the door and knocked swiftly, trying to rid myself of these irrational nerves.

The door opened, and I was immediately lost in those deep brown eyes of hers.

"Hey," I heard her say as, though she sounded a million miles away. I saw a beautiful smile grace her lips before I pulled myself together to respond.

"Hey yourself," _Oh gosh, you sound like such a dork._ "You ready?" I smiled, trying to hide my insecurities.

"Yeah, let's go." She walked out the door and locked it behind her before walking past me and straight to the Volvo. Apparently she wasn't as nervous as I seemed to be. I tried to calm myself down. _It's only Bella_, I repeated in my head.

I hopped in and messed with the radio until her favorite song came on. She gave me a brilliant smile that scrambled my thoughts. I turned my eyes to the road and tried to focus on driving.

"So, what have you been doing lately?" I asked nonchalantly. I glanced over to see her face fall. _What did I say?_

"Um, not much. School, friends, the usual. You know," she answered cryptically. I turned my head all the way to take in her expression. Her face was innocent, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn't telling the truth.

"My mom got remarried. His name's Phil. He's a minor league baseball player. She's really crazy about him." I could tell she was trying to change the subject, so I let it drop and turned back to the road.

She continued to tell me about all that had happened the past three years, but I could tell she was leaving something out. _What isn't she telling me?_ I wondered. I told her about Alice and her crazy shopping tendencies.

I honked the horn once we were in front of my house, and Alice rushed out shortly after. Once she was in the backseat, we were speeding toward Port Angeles.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked.

"Well we thought it might be a little fun to go someplace that wasn't entirely dull," Alice spoke up. I rolled my eyes. Of course Alice was bored with Forks. She was bored with anyplace that didn't have a shopping mall.

"And that would be…?" Bella asked. I glanced at her quickly to see her brows furrowed in confusion and a small, cute pout on her lips.

"We're going up to Port Angeles. Alice has decided that she doesn't have enough clothes already and thought you would like to shop with her," I answered, knowing very well that Alice wouldn't.

"Edward, why do you have to ruin all the fun? It was supposed to be a surprise," Alice grumbled. I laughed lightly. Soon enough, Alice and Bella were talking away like they'd been best friends for years.

Time passed quickly as I enjoyed the drive with two of my favorite people. Unfortunately, this also meant that we arrived at the mall much too soon. After the first three stores, I couldn't take it any longer. I excused myself and rushed to the nearest sports equipment store.

I rejoiced as I walked into the manly store. Note to self: never go shopping with Alice again, or you will die from estrogen overdose.

I was looking at buying another baseball bat when I spotted a familiar face.

"Hey Jasper," I called across the store. He looked up at his name and ran over to me.

"Hey dude. What's up?" he said once he was in front of me.

"Alice dragged me to the mall. I escaped as soon as I could and came here. I feel bad for Bella though. She's still stuck with the shopaholic."

"Alice is here?" he eagerly. It was so obvious he liked her, and she returned the feelings. Why couldn't they just get together already?

I suddenly got a brilliant idea. Not only would it get them together sooner, it would hopefully be a little payback for poor Bella.

"Um yeah, she is. Hey, how about you come over for dinner tonight? You could meet Bella, and I'm sure Alice would love it if you were there." I had said the magic words. His face lit up like a Fourth of July fireworks display.

"You really think she'd like it if I came?"

"Yeah, of course," I said. It was halfway true. Sure, she would be nervous, but on the inside I knew she'd be thrilled.

"Alright then. I guess I'll see you at six," he said, and then he walked off.

* * *

About two hours later, I found myself sitting in my car listening to music. I caught sight of Alice and turned to see her and Bella loaded down with bags.

"Good grief, Alice. What did you do, buy the whole mall?"

"These aren't for me. They're for Bella," she answered icily. I looked to Bella with wide eyes. _Didn't Bella hate shopping?_

"Alice forced them on me. I told her I didn't need them, but she didn't listen," she said, jutting her chin out defensively. _So adorable…_

I shook my head and chuckled. "Sounds like Alice." Alice scowled at me before turning back to Bella.

They somehow packed the millions of bags into the trunk then got in. We'd been on the road a few minutes when I saw an evil grin spread across Alice's face in the rearview mirror.

"So, Bella, tell me about Tennessee. Are there any cute guys? How many boyfriends have you had? Do you have one now?" I tensed at her questions.

"Breathe, Alice. No, I don't have a boyfriend. I've dated a few guys, but nothing serious. Mostly all the guys were just my friends," Bella chuckled. I felt my hands clenched the steering wheel when she said she'd dated a few guys. She didn't mention _that _this morning. I needed to get out of here, fast.

I pulled over at a gas station and pumped the gas quickly. I ran inside and into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror, running my hand through my hair.

"Calm down, man," I mumbled to myself. "Of course she's had boyfriends. You're just over protective of her because she's like your sister. Get a hold of yourself."

A guy walked out of one of the stalls at that precise moment, giving me a strange look. I smiled sheepishly and gave him a small wave.

"Yeah, I know. I'm insane." I saw him nod slightly as I walked out to go pay.

When I got back to the car, I saw Bella wearing an all too innocent look.

"Hey guys," I said somewhat suspiciously.

"Hey Edward. Do you think maybe I could drive? If you don't want me to, it's okay. It's just that I only got my new truck two days ago, and I've barely driven it," Bella asked.

She seemed sincere, but that didn't mean I would let her drive my baby. Then she unknowingly bit her lip, and her eyes were begging me to say yes. So I, of course, couldn't say no.

"Yeah, I guess that'll be okay." I walked around to her side, opened her door, and reluctantly handed over the keys.

"Thanks," she said, grinning wildly. As she got in, I noticed she checked her mirrors and buckled her seatbelt. I sighed, completely relieved. That is until she put the pedal to the metal and hit seventy in exactly six seconds. _Is she trying to kill me? _I thought wildly.

She must have caught the expression on my face, for she soon brought the speed down to a respectable fifty-five.

"What in the heck was that? What happened to the Bella who was scared to get her learner's permit because she thought she was going to drive off the road?" I asked, remembering when the thought terrified her. She laughed freely, looking absolutely radiant.

"She moved to Tennessee where four-wheelers and dirt bikes are a girl's best friend," she answered, a stunning smile still on her lips.

I looked at her, stunned. "What?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing," I lied. I thought about her gorgeous smile and her little stunt. Yep, she's definitely trying to kill me.


End file.
